The Dalai Lama rejected China's claim that India was using him diplomatically to challenge the Communist country, and described himself as a messenger of ancient Indian thought and values.
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"I have never been used by India. Wherever I go, I tell people about the Indian philosophy of ahimsa (non-violence), karuna (compassion) and religious harmony," the Tibetan leader told reporters on Wednesday while taking questions on China's angry reaction to his visit to Tawang.
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The Dalai Lama, who arrived here on Tuesday on his way to Tawang, said, "We are not seeking independence. We want China to give us meaningful autonomy. We want to remain with the People's Republic of China."
The spiritual leader added,
"Tibet is materialistically backward but spiritually highly advanced. We want to develop materialistically by remaining with China and it should also feel the same way for mutual benefit."
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Calling for restraint, the Dalai Lama said,
"Please do not say 'angry Chinese'. There are many in China who love India. It's only some narrow-minded politicians who see India in a different way, just the way they see me as a demon. I am not a demon."
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He added, "China has the highest population of Tibetan Buddhists. Many Chinese intellectuals fully support our cause."
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The Dalai Lama also expressed concern at the degradation of environment and ecology in Tibet, saying, "All the major rivers in Asia, including the Ganga and Brahmaputra, flow out of Tibet. The Chinese government should take full care of Tibet's ecology as a step against global warming."
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During the day, the spiritual leader, who won the Nobel Prize for peace in 1989, held a three-hour religious discourse at Buddha Park here where more than 3,000 followers and others had assembled. After delivering a lecture in a local high school, he left for Dirang, 40 km north of here. On Thursday, he will inaugurate the Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery at Dirang.
reuters
Bad weather made the Dalai Lama change his schedule and he reached here by road from Guwahati on Tuesday instead of flying to Tawang from the upper Assam town of Dibrugarh. He had scheduled his Bomdila programme in the last leg of his nine-day tour that ends on April 10.